As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring Has Sprung!

I think that there is something about hardship that causes one to be more grateful during the good times. Perhaps that is why the coming of spring feels especially wonderful this year. Here on the East Coast, winter has been shivery and snowy, wild and wooly, and l-o-n-g. (Those who are accustomed to such winters may scorn my reference to it as a hardship, but it was far more ~~wintry~~ than any I can remember.)

So we have been joyfully celebrating the impending arrival of The First Day of Spring this week.

We've been working on the bookshelves...taking the books off the shelves, culling out collections, cleaning each shelf, and even rearranging and reorganizing some. (We also secretly removed some books that were hidden behind the stacks. You know, the ones that the children/grandchildren ask you to read, but ones that you can hardly bear to read because they are boring or lifeless or tedious. Like Ten Green Bottles, for example. Don't tell.)

So now we have two big boxes of books that are looking for good homes...

We enjoyed a Mother/Daughter Springtime TeaParty.

We invited some homeschooled teenage girls and their moms over for some girl time...and it was delightful. In fact, it was so delightful that I totally forgot to take any pictures until everyone had left! But we did have a lovely time of chatting and sipping tea and nibbling teatime treats and laughing and telling stories. An afternoon of refreshment. We need to do it more often.

These are some post-tea pictures...

First-Day-of-Spring Baskets were presented.

We used to do Easter baskets, but several years ago we changed plans. Resurrection Day is such a glorious beautiful day of rejoicing, that it almost seemed to trivialize the significance of the holiday to make a big deal out of chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks. But chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks are such fun, and my children had always received such treats...so Ron and I decided that, as the first day of spring is exciting and something to celebrate, and bunnies and chicks and flowers certainly represent the spring of the year, we would begin the tradition of the Spring Basket.

Here are this year's Spring Baskets (although Kati's "basket" this year is actually a new Martha Stewart batter bowl ;-)...

6 comments:

The kids went outside every day since it was so warm. Maddie conquered her fear of wasps and bees so she joined them in the backyard this year. (Even Owen was unfazed by the wasps that flew by the sandbox!) The highlight was playing in the mud left by the melted snow on top of the sand (since the sandbox was not closed tightly before the February snowstorms).

i think i need to treat myself to a first day of spring basket! especially the one with a MS handle mixing bowl. love that color - too!you have been busy organizing! and that tea party sounds lovely. how nice that you all can met together & have some girl time!

thank you so much for coming & linking to the party! i appreciate it & you!

I hear you about appreciating the spring that much more after surviving the winter of my discontent! I love the Martha Stewart Mixing Bowl. It looks like a giant tea cup! We took a trip to Ritas this week as well! I am new to your lovely blog via The Blessed Nest and will be returning.

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About Me

...homemaker, homeschooler, homebody who is on her way to her Heavenly home. I am wife to Ron; Mom to Kristin, Ryan, Kati, and Bekah (16); mother-in-law to Brian and Sarah; Gran to Gavin, Maddie, Owen, Eve, Benjamin, Nora, Alaine, Peter, Paul, and Macie (ages 15 to 2).